Mass Effect: Rehabilitation
by Sgt Rypht
Summary: A normal life is something the battle scarred Shepard didn't expect. How will Admiral Tali'Zorah deal with the quirky antics and darker lows of her former Commander? Warning: Citadel DLC spoilers in later chapters.
1. Episode 1: It's nice to meet you again

Mass Effect: Rehabilitation

_Sequel to Stability_

* * *

**Characters:** Tali and Commander Rowan Shepard (Paragon/Infiltrator)

**Full Summary:** In 2189, Tali'Zorah received a visitor from a person she never expected to see again. That man was Commander Shepard. One-legged and tattered, he appeared before her to ask for closure. What he got was a home instead. How will he deal with the normalcy of life? Tali will soon find out that the exterior of Shepard is much different than the odd, squishy interior.

* * *

**Episode 1: **

"It's nice to meet you, again."

**Chapter Genre: **Romance

**Characters: **Tali and Shepard

**Chapter Summary: **_It's like meeting him for the first time, but falling in love all over again._

**Rannoch, 2189**

**Morning**

Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy was falling in love with Commander Shepard, all over again.

It was the strangest feeling, to be honest. The moment that he showed up on her doorstep that day—tattered and hobbling on one leg—she questioned if she could love him again after so long. That doubt was ill-placed. She never fell out of love with him. But somehow, he had managed to get her stomach tossing and fuzzy again. Lying beside him even now felt somewhat unreal. Well…despite his snoring, it felt unreal.

She leaned over to watch him stir under the white sheets. Shepard was a restless sleeper. She didn't mind, in fact she really liked the noise. It was a habit she still held onto since being on the fleet. But, this noise wasn't a buzzing of an eezo core that needed some patches or the roaring engines. He was a person, the best sound to wake up and fall asleep to.

The feeling was nice and she loved every second of it. But, she also had responsibilities.

Tali went to carefully move the sheets from her slender body. She stopped, realizing Shepard held her body tightly. His muscled arms were wrapped around her waist and hips, hugging her like one of those stuff animals she had seen on the Citadel. She cocked her head back on the sheets, laughing. She had to get up. Did she want to? No. This felt nice. But the admirals were going to meet this morning and she had to be there. She tapped him on the crown of his head. "Shepard."

He grunted.

"Shepard, I need to get up."

"No, you don't," he moaned, sleepily pressing his head on her shoulder.

"Shepard," she repeated.

"I don't want you to leave," he said in a sleepy slur.

Tali found herself dissolving in giggles. Sleepy Shepard was nothing like the Commander Shepard that she had known. Well. A lot of things about him personally were radically different than the leader of the ship. At first, it was a bit rattling. But now, a month after living together, she had realized that he was much quirkier than she could have ever imagined. "Shepard," she beckoned again.

She earned a louder grunt this time.

"Please let me get up."

Slowly, Shepard reeled his arms back, before finally opening his eyes. All she could think was how gorgeous his eyes were.

Unbeknownst to her, Shepard was thinking the same thing about her dazzling white eyes.

"If you _really_ have to, I guess I can let you go for now," Shepard said, pulling the sheets from her side to his.

"Hey!"

"You are getting up, remember"

Tali gave a playful smile as she hopped out of the bed. She quickly threw on the nearest robe, looking at the cocoon of sheets, a mass of red hair popping out from the top of it. She stared at her pillow, then back at Shepard, then back at the pillow again. She really needed to get going but, she could make time for this.

A devious smile slid on her face as she carefully pulled the pillow into her hands. "Would you mind helping me with something, Shepard?"

"What…" _Smack. _"Tali!"

Playfully, Tali kept whacking Shepard in various places with her pillow. After the first few hits, Shepard quickly tore the sheets from his body, grabbed his pillow and retaliated. The two swung wildly at each other, continuing to hit each other in any way that they could. Even with a single leg, he was still remarkably swift, even sitting up right to get better reach to her.

Before either of them knew it, Tali was back on the bed and on Shepard's chest, fluffy weapon raised. This continued way over the allotted time she would play with him in her head. "I win," she said, smiling.

"No. Not yet."

With an incredible amount of strength, Shepard picked her straight up as though she was a child. He lowered her closer to his chest, before kissing her. "I win," he said, pulling his lips away.

"I'm not counting that, Shepard."  
"I don't see why."

"Because you cheated," she smiled, kissing him again. "I'm going to be so late thanks to you."

* * *

**Noon **

"Shepard, I—"

Tali had just finished the weekly Admiral meeting—for which, in fact, she was over two hours late. She opened the door to see that Shepard was working around the house. He hadn't even noticed her enter, so she had been watching him work on various things undetected. The best part was that he was working completely in his boxers. No, maybe that wasn't the best part. The best part was that the boxers were purple and printed like her quarian hood.

For a moment, she had thought to ask when or where he even got those. _Extranet_ was probably going to be his answer. But the whole prospect of such was just amusing.

"What in the hell is wrong with this ventilation system—"Shepard muttered, looking over the control panel, scanning it again with his omnitool. "I might have broken it more than before." He scratched his red beard, thoughtfully. "I wonder how Tali even got it this bad—she's better at tech things than me so why—"

"I haven't had the time to.'"

Shepard almost stumbled from his crutches to wheel around. "I—Tali—urgh. You're home early." Even from this distance, she could see that his face was slowly turning crimson from embarrassment.

"Is there are reason why you are just in your boxers?"

He arched his eyebrow at the question. "Uh—it helps me think better when it comes to tech stuff."

"Has this been a recent thing?"

"No…" he trailed off, muttering.

_It must be very interesting to see him work on guns, _she thought. Tali decided to say nothing about his odd quirk. In fact, she enjoyed probably more than she should have. "So did you get it fixed?"

Shepard shook his head annoyed. "I have no clue what's going on."

Tali grinned, tossing back her hood. She walked towards the console, closing the door behind her. She swept her hand over it, the shape of her omnitool flashing on her wrist. Shepard leaned in to see what she was doing. "You see," she started, feeling comfortable talking about technology, "you didn't use connectors quite right to get proper flow to the rest of the system—"

She went on to explain the semantics of the system while he simply and dutifully listened to her words. For a bit, she had thought that he had phased out. A part of herself felt like she was ranting, and no matter how aware he was to her words. Discomfited, Tali swept her hair out of her face. "I'm talking too much…I can just fix it by—"

_Click. _

Smiling, Shepard nodded his head as he lowered his omnitool.

"You were listening to all of that."

"…I like hearing you talk."

"Did you know all of what I was talking about...?"  
"No. Well I knew a lot," he said quickly correcting himself. "It's nice having a crash course. How about dinner?"

Tali cocked her head at his attempt to change the subject. "How about you put some clothes on first?"

"If you _really _want me too." He gave a large grin before hopping away on his crutches.

Shepard really didn't have to put on anything, yet she wasn't about to tell him that.

* * *

**Afternoon **

"How in the world did you get this to taste so good?"

Shepard stared at his plate. On it, Tali had made him steak with potatoes and green beans. She had imported a lot of the materials to Rannoch a while back, mainly because Shepard needed to eat. He couldn't exactly eat quarian food. He tried before and was sick, badly. From then on she had stocked the food filled with edible materials for humans, keeping it separate from hers. However, that didn't explain how she got so good at _cooking_ said materials.

In disbelief, he cut another piece off the steak with his knife and plopped it in his mouth. He chewed the food carefully. It was probably the best tasting food that he had tried…even on Earth. Shepard furrowed his brow, before quickly moving on to eat the last bit of potatoes. "How—"he tried to question her majesty, but found himself side tracked by the food.

"Just eat," she said, happy inside about what's been done. It took practice, the extranet, and a lot of burnt food. That was something he didn't need to know.

She placed the pans that she had used to make his food into the sink, and pulled out some for preparing hers.

"Do the Admirals know that I'm here…?" Shepard said, forking a green bean.

"Um—"

No. They didn't. They might have noticed the packages for Shepard such as the clothing and food, but they didn't know that Shepard lived there. The Admiral Board had approached her about her recent tardiness. But she couldn't exactly tell them that Shepard was alive. Not just for the safety of the quarians, but Shepard's safety as well. Admiral Koris might understand, however that wasn't a sure bet for the rest of the Board.

"No. I haven't—"  
"You really should be honest with them at least. You don't have to tell the entire quarian race…I'll advise against that. I don't want people to…freak out. You know how—" he chomped on a green bean, "you know how people would react if _the_ Shepard is alive."

"Maybe..."

Tali tossed some ingredients into her pan. "Do you want to see Garrus and everyone else again? Know what they are doing now?"

"Maybe," he placed his fork down for a moment. "But I'm not quite the same person that they know. I met them at war…and I just don't think they would…I don't think they—I'm bad at this."

She let him work through his sentences.

"You must have noticed that I'm…different than what I am in front of a group of soldiers."

He was right. Shepard was an entity. Rowan was a person. There were qualities the professional face and the private one shared, but it was almost night and day. With his guard down, he was much more bumbling and looser. But, he still held that quality, that smooth charm that got people together. Soldier or not, he was still a good person. Just different, like a stranger that you met before, somehow.

"Yeah…"Tali paused, giving herself some thought. "It's like…meeting you again."

Shepard gave a thin smile, reclining back in his chair. "Then Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, it's been a pleasure to meet you all over again. I hope first impressions weren't too bad."

"Not too bad, Rowan Shepard. You would have got more points if you cooked me dinner instead."

As much as both of them tried to contain it, their laughter echoed through the house.

* * *

**Author Notes:** It's been absolutely humbling to see the amount of press I have received on this story's prequel, Stability. So, here you guys go! I'm going to try to post chapters of this story as regularly as possible. I hope that you enjoyed. Every chapter is going to have the song that I wrote the chapter to (and got the name of the chapter from, sometimes it's going to be different). This time it was:

**Song of the Episode: **Stranger by Chris August

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	2. Episode 2: Some days you lose, you win

**Episode 2: **

"Some days you lose, you win"

* * *

**Chapter Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort**

**Characters: **Tali, Shepard, and a Geth Companion

**Chapter Summary: **_Knowing that he needed help was the scariest thing that he could ever imagine._

* * *

**Rannoch, Night**

_Crsssh-crack! _

"Shepard?" Tali whispered, startled by the large crash. She was met with no response.

With a frown, Tali turned over to see an empty bed. The warmth of his body had long since left the covers, the imprint of him gone as well. He had been absent for a while, at least a half an hour. Shepard wasn't the type of person to forego sleep, unless the mission required it. Mentally, she tried to think of reasons why. Yet, no matter how much she tried to rationalize, the worry of him being hurt swept over her in waves. The thoughts overpowered her, beckoning for action.

She tore the sheets from her body. Tali stood up, ignoring the vertigo of such a fast motion, and almost ran out of the room.

Haste coursed through her body like blood. She started with the bathrooms. "No, he's not there." She continued to the library, then the living area. Still nothing. Fear gripped her body. "He's probably out or—"she paused. "Maybe he was hungry. Tali, calm down."

She kept herself calm as she paced towards the kitchen. As much as she didn't want to show it to Shepard, she worried about him. He hid the pain of his missing leg and vague memories about the happening of his survival. In turn, she made sure not to hold his hand when it came to his disability. Going from the hero of the galaxy to a veteran was tough, even without the added baggage of his injuries. Coddling him somehow seemed to make it worse.

But, she couldn't stop herself from checking on him, could she?

Anytime that she got a fever or a sickness from a suit puncture or maintenance years back, he was there. When fighting Saren, he would subtly—as discreet as Shepard could be—ask how her health was. During the Suicide Mission, the subtlety was gone and he would check on her health as much as possible. It was so much, in fact, that he went out of his way to learn ship jargon to talk with her, Kenneth, and Gabby on the Engineering Deck. Finally, during the Reaper War's completion, he was there almost holding her hand when she got sick.

It was the sweetest thing that someone had ever done for her. Yet, she knew that he wouldn't want the favor returned.

But, that didn't mean that he didn't deserve something.

Tali wheeled herself around the corner leading to the kitchen. The room was dark, yet the pristine glow of the outside lights filtered in through the window above the counter. She could see very little from the minor illumination. She gave herself a few seconds to become acclimated to it. After a short while, she could see that the cabinet just above that window was open. She frowned at the thought. "Shepard."

"Yeah—"he responded in a terse tone.

"Are you okay?"

He went silent.

"Where are you?"

He deferred his response, giving only an angry _tch. _"Under the counter."

With a beep on her omnitool, the lights turned on. Tali proceeded to enter farther into the kitchen, seeing Shepard's form underneath the counter. His thin body was curled up within the shade of the wooden alcove like a child futilely combating the sound of thunder. The side of his shirt was ripped and his thin pajama pants were blotted with blood on the kneecap. "Shep, what happened?"

Instinctively, Tali went to apply some medigel to the hurt areas of his body. She only paused when she saw his expression. He was hurt, though just a few cuts physically, and no amount of the healing salve would fix the other wounds. Anger and self-loathing were in those green eyes, as much as he tried to hide them. "I fell Tali," he whispered lowly. For once, she had wished he had shouted.

In a painful silence, she cleaned the blood. He avoided looking at her. Instead, he just closed his eyes. His forehead rapped against the wood. She knew that he was upset, maybe even crying.

"Hey…hey…" Tali nudged him. "It's okay. It's—"

No. It wasn't.

She could say it over and over again to him. But, it wasn't going to help. The reality of his leg had hit him. Somehow that fall had taken more than just a layer of skin. It stripped him of some pride.

"Shepard, we can get through this."

* * *

**The Next Morning**

"You are going to need help around the house until we can think of something better."

Shepard stared with an expression of borderline horror.

"Last night was just a remote incident. I will be—"

Tali cocked her head and frowned, an almost instant way to get him to stop talking.

"You are getting help. I've already talked to Admiral Raan about it."

Bullets of sweat cascaded down Shepard's face. "You told Raan…"

Tali gave a triumphant smile.

Yes. She had told Admiral Raan and Koris about Shepard's presence last night. Both had taken it relatively well. Raan, in fact, already knew somehow. In her mind, she could see Raan smiling as she said: "Only one thing could make you that happy and that late, Tali'zorah" before she disappeared back into her office to contact the geth about the need for assistance.

Koris seemed slightly astonished at the revelation, but took it with some dignity. His word of advice was to keep it from Xen and Han'Gerrel, at least until he could run it by the Conclave for the sake of civilian law. It was a wise move for now. Despite the somewhat civil appearances of the Admirals, they were still much like politicians and had agendas of their own. Those two would most likely oppose anything at this stage of the readapting to planetary structure. "Play it safe," is what he told her. So she would.

In the end, she got assistance from Raan and advice from Koris. It worked out better than she had expected.

"Auntie—I mean Admiral Raan thought it would be a good idea for a geth to help you. They respect you, and wouldn't hurt your privacy…."

"_Our _privacy."

"Our privacy," Tali corrected, smiling.

Shepard sighed, reclining in the leather sofa. "I don't think this is necessary."

Tali crossed her arms.

"Don't give me that," he muttered. "I mean, do I really need to have a geth helping me everywhere? I—"

"Stop playing it tough."

Shepard groaned. It was obvious that he was playing it pretty tough. Being on crutches was almost as bad as being bedridden to a man who had known conflict all of his life. As much as he could charm his way out of disagreements, this one he wasn't going to get out of. "I get it," he said cocking his head back. "I just don't want to…believe that I have to live like this."

"You could do a clone-tissue replacement."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because, that would put me back on the map and I don't like doctors."

"You like Doctor Chakwas," Tali retorted.  
"Have you seen me with any other doctor? Besides, I was fighting Reapers. Avoiding doctors would have compromised the mission."

"You liked Mordin."

"Yeah…I did."

The two honored the salarian doctor with a moment of silence.

"Still, I didn't go to him for surgery or anything. It's just…I—I just don't like doctors."

Tali nodded, accepting the dislike. Some people don't like doctors. Others don't like spiders. He wouldn't force her to go to some spider petting zoo. _Keelah, I would kill him if he did that_, she thought with a smile on her face. "How about prosthetics?"

Shepard stroked his beard, pondering the thought. She could see his face changing almost to glee. They were both tech-experts. Together, they could develop it. Well, they could in theory. Neither of them had tried. He was an infiltrator, a specialist in combat technology. Tali focused on AI, drones, and other similar fields. They would have to develop some blueprints, perhaps even get some data on this. Sadly enough both of them were hardly qualified for the job. "Sure we can try it," he said with a smirk. Qualifications and "buts" weren't going to stop him.

"Alright, I guess we'll do some research."

"Well you did do some research for we could…" he arched his eye brow, in an over-the-top seductive way. "If you _get_ what I'm saying."

Tali palmed her face. "You and Garrus, I swear."

The sound of the doorbell saved her from Shepard's awkward attempts of seduction. She smiled, excusing herself from the situation to head towards the front door. She tapped on the heads-up screen, revealing the face of the visitor. Face wasn't an accurate description. It was more along the lines of an abdomen of metal and thick tubing. "Um—who is it?"

"Creator Tali'zorah vas Normandy. Request to enter on the behalf of Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay."

"Uhh—" Tali's mind went blank. "uh okay…"she paused. "Shepard, you might want to come in here for this."

She waited, hearing the familiar sound of Shepard's crutches on the wooden floor reverberating through the house.

"Something wrong, Tali?" he asked, face already contorted for battle.

"Nothing's wrong, I just thought that you should see this."

Tali pressed the button to let the visitor in. The sight was a geth. Not just any geth, a geth juggernaut that almost filled the entire doorway. Without even facing him, she could hear Shepard's jaw almost drop from his face.

"Juggernaut Unit, preparing for assistance, Creator Tali."

"Well…damn…" Shepard said looking up. "I'm glad you have high ceilings…"

"No kidding."

Raan didn't pull any punches when it came to assistance. But, a geth _juggernaut_, that was insane even for her standards. "_Only you Auntie Raan. Only you."_

* * *

Shepard and KRONOS—the name he had given the nameless Juggernaut for acknowledgement purposes—had taken refuge in Tali's workshop. To be honest, he had no clue where to start on this prosthetic leg project. Right now, all he was doing consisted of sitting down at a wooden desk with a blank data pad and equally empty ideas. All the while KRONOS sorted through several heavy boxes, scanning for potential supplies.

"You have any ideas, big guy."

"Shepard-Commander."

Shepard's mouth went dry, thinking of Legion. "Don't call me that. Shepard or Rowan is fine."

"Shepard," the juggernaut corrected. "This unit has scanned through potential blueprints to uphold your specific criteria."

Shepard turned the chair around to face the large synthetic, who lumbered around the workshop. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

KRONOS went silent. "Organics would define the withholding of said information amusing."

"Or a pain in the ass," Shepard retorted.

The sides of KRONOS's head-piece flapped as though amused by the statement. _If EDI wasn't enough,_ Shepard thought almost in a bitter-sweet sort of way. He missed his crew.

"What did you find?"

"Potential blueprints. Narrowing the potential criteria down to four."

"Sounds good."

"Negative. All four requires an extensive amount of Palladium for the cybernetics, Platinum for the connection to organic physiology, and Element Zero for the core. Iridium can be used for reinforcement, however only two of the potential plans requires that element."

Shepard gritted his teeth. "It's like the Suicide Mission all over again."

Unlike the Suicide Mission, he didn't have the Normandy or resources associated with it. He could have them smuggled on world, somehow. However, he was unwilling to risk Tali's job and safety on such a gambit. Besides, he was more willing to stay on the legal side of situations. His best bet was to have someone else buy the supplies for him. There were only three other people that may know of him being alive. Liara, being the Shadow Broker, must have picked up on it by now. Miranda had found out almost effortlessly, and they had spoken before he returned to Tali on Rannoch.

Neither of them was notorious for getting in contact with.

Shepard smirked. Then he will have to depend on his last one.

"KRONOS, you can get a secure communication line?"

KRONOS dropped his box, before looking in Shepard's direction. Shepard was more than sure that geth couldn't be insulted, but it looked at him as though he had asked a stupid question. "We are geth, Shepard."

"I—I didn't mean. Just give me a secure channel, alright?"

"Who do you wish to contact, Shepard?"  
"Someone who helped me back on Earth."

* * *

**Author Notes**: Wow everyone. Thanks for enjoying the first chapter of Rehabilitation. It's really fun to write this. Thanks everyone for their reviews and comments.

Kill-phil: Thanks for the review!

Rubik: I'm glad that I have so many people asking questions. Raan is probably the most understandable of the Admirals, so Tali pretty much knew that she would understand for the most part. So thanks for point that out!

TW6464: Thanks for being so loyal on both here and Deviant Art!

Way of the Sheikah: Your reviews really put a smile on my face when I see them! Thanks for taking your time to write them! Keep doing that to everyone that you review. It's really motivating.

* * *

I will also like to thank the favorites and follows. 9 alerts, 6 favorites, and 307 views.

Thanks to:

Facemelter

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Renting

Rubik

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Way of the Sheikah

TW6464

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Song of the Episode: Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti & the Spearheads

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	3. Episode 3: We were meant to be lonely

**Episode 3:**

"Maybe we were meant to be lonely"

(Maybe we don't have to be all alone)

* * *

**Chapter Genre: Hurt-Comfort/Humor**

**Characters:** Tali, Shepard, KRONOS, Han'Gerrel, and A mysterious caller.

**Chapter Summary**: _His thirst to get out reminded her of a fish that somehow knew the aquarium was all it would ever see._

* * *

**Morning**

Shepard was bored, sitting in the window sill as he watched Tali leave for work.

He tried not to show it when she left, but it almost pained him when she closed the door behind her every day. A part of him felt ridiculous at the thought of pining like a puppy dog for attention. But love, love hit him harder than anything that he had ever felt before. He went through a relay that was thought to be impossible to come back from. He fought banshees and brutes as though they were foot soldiers. Hell, he could stare at a reaper, face to face and not flinch. But, they were easier to combat than this. He was lonely when she was gone.

Shepard slipped off the wooden beam, a scowl edged into his face. He was growing impatient and irritable. His contact had agreed to bring him the supplies, personally. However, the man didn't say how or when he would get here. It's been a few weeks since he first contacted him. Yet, somehow, he had decided to take his sweet time to get to Rannoch. But, he trusted his decision.

That didn't make this any easier.

So now. Almost a month later with nothing left to do, he had taken up fixing things around the house. Tali thought it was a good idea for him to make his mark in _their_ home. Admittedly, he felt it was an undeserving request. Her father had promised to make a house for her. He, himself, had also made that promise. Neither could keep to their promises. She ended up building the house alone. So it felt unfitting, unworthy even, to make it anything like him.

That didn't stop Tali from ordering things for him.

Even now, KRONOS was working with a lot of the heavier items. The green colossus moved at a sluggish pace, yet he had easily refurnished most of the rooms to better fit the couple. Currently, it had a large pool table in its grasp, easily above its head as though it was a wicker basket. It set it down within a room to the side and slowly walked down the stairs tirelessly. "Need a break, sport?" Shepard said, keeping himself upright enough with the frame of the door.

KRONOS turned its head. "No."

"You sure?"

"Synthetics do not fatigue, Shepard," KRONOS responded with an almost sarcasm in its robotic voice. For a geth, this one had grasped a sense of humor quite well.

"I know that, jackass." _God, now I'm sounding like Zaeed. I really need to get out of this house, _he thought. "I just need someone to keep me company as all."

After contemplating for a while, KRONOS stopped what it was doing. It sat its large body on a wooden plank of the stairs. For a minute, Shepard thought it was going to break from the weight, but somehow it survived.

"Do you have a query, Shepard?"

"How do you…" Shepard held his tongue for a second. "How do you feel working here?"

KRONOS went silent for a moment. "Feel is the incorrect word, Shepard. The Initiator did not instill feelings within the consensus, just gave each a large quantity of understanding. We are intelligent, yet we aren't living completely. But, there has been _emotion, _for a _l_ack of a better term, since the code has been uploaded. So I suppose that you aren't asking a completely foreign request."

"The Initiator…" Shepard repeated puzzled. "Legion?"

"That is the unit name that the crew of the SR-2 Normandy called it. Yes."

"Then what do you…think about working with me?"

If the juggernaut could smile, Shepard knew that it would right now. "It's been…" it searched for a word, "it's been an honor."

Shepard looked down, grinning. "I needed that."

"This unit is aware you needed emotional reinforcement."

"It's that obvious, huh? You see that I'm lonely when she's not around."

"Affirmative. However, the concept of loneliness is foreign to geth." The _emotion, _that almost human spark, leaked into the robotic voice. "We are never alone. We will never be alone." KRONOS got to its feet. "You are never alone, Shepard."

With pride in its steps, KRONOS headed towards the door to continue his work.

"KRONOS…thanks, but one more question…"

KRONOS didn't turn to face him, but stopped to listen.

"You chose this job to come see me, didn't you?"

Shepard could have sworn that he heard a mimic of a laugh as KRONOS pressed the button for the door. "I did, Shep. I did."

* * *

**Afternoon**

"Shepard!"

Shepard tossed down the book—a quarian novel by the name of _Machina_—to see Tali standing in the doorway of his newly assembled study. Sweat poured from her forehead as she huffed. She struggled to get her breath, hand against her chest as she took in ragged inhales. "You have to hide! You have to hide now!"

"Tali—"

"No time to explain, Han'gerrel's coming by. He was asking a lot of questions today at the meeting. And I didn't know how to exactly answer them. So I froze. Then he said he was going to come by to see what I've done with the place since I had a geth juggernaut over moving things. So he's coming down for dinner…or whatever this is right now. I couldn't say no. The stupid bosh'tet was always really nosey anyway. Keelah. Why are you still sitting there?"

Shepard was about to explain that he couldn't exactly move at the swiftest of paces. But, he wasn't about to get the wrath of an obviously disgruntled Tali. He got himself upright. "For a person that didn't have time to explain, you are explaining well. Is he coming now?"

"Right now. Like right now, _right now_. That's how much right now he's coming right now."

As much as Shepard wanted to burst out into laughter, he held it painfully in his stomach. He hopped past her through the doorway. "You could have called or something."

"No time," she said, pacing briskly ahead of him. "I was too busy pretending that I'm not hiding my boyfriend, who happens to be a famous Alliance Marine Veteran, in my house."

"Well excuse me, princess."  
"Just get going!"

"I'm moving as _fast_ as I can." That was a lie, of course. He could move a lot faster, but it was a bit of a thrill. "This is the type of thrill the other guy in an affair must feel like. About to be caught by the other mate of his lover—"  
"You've been reading too much _Machina, _Shepard_!" _

Shepard smiled broadly as he took his time down the stairs, with Tali's help. "Do you still think that it was a good idea to "masculinize" some of the space for me?"

Tali pursed her lips. "Yes."  
"What if he asks questions?"

"I can say that I'm seeing someone and he stays here sometimes," Tali said. Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I won't be lying!"

"I just hope you are talking about me."  
"Who else could I be talking about?" Tali questioned, already knowing the answer.

"It better not be Garrus," Shepard said with a smile.

Tali adopted a sardonic expression. "Yes, of course! Who else could it be? I mean really."

"I knew it!"

"Stop joking, Shepard! This is serious and—"The doorbell rang, leaving Tali's face to go pale. "Keelah, he's here."

"I'm almost to the workshop. Go answer the door."

Tali sneered at Shepard. She knew that he would probably risk being seen by Han just to add some excitement. He was that type of person. It was almost like a kid in that aspect. He would look to find as much of a thrill as possible in the most mundane or already dangerous situations. Yet being seen by the Admiral that would probably be the most adamant against his stay was just crazy. Not to mention that Shepard had _punched_ Han before in the gullet.

She sprinted to the doorway. "Who is it?" she said, pressing the video screen to see the familiar face.

"Han'gerrel vas Neema."

It was indeed the Admiral. If any quarian could look like he had lost more than one bar fight, it would be him. He had long straggly hair tied into a ponytail, a messy black beard dripping down his chest, a few missing teeth, and a countless amount of scars on his face. It was amazing that he had even survived the amount of suit punctures he had in his life. He was the pinnacle of rough and tough Marine material. Han was the perfect person for a friend of Shepard if they hadn't already been established as enemies. "May I enter, Miss vas Normandy."

"Yes…yes."

She clicked the button, praying that Shepard wasn't just standing behind her. The door flung open.

"Thank you, Tali'zorah."

Han'Gerrel, a rather wide and tall man for a quarian, looked past Tali the moment he had a clear view.

"Is there a problem, Han?"

"No. I just thought I saw something."

Tali turned around. Nothing. _Damn it, Shepard. Tactical Cloak, _she thought shaking her head. "Come in, Han. I'll make us some dinner."

* * *

**Late Night**

With Han's curiosity sated and hours upon hours of business, he left. It wasn't until late that night Tali got a break. By that point, she had crashed on the sofa, sleep. Shepard smiled as she hugged a pillow on the couch. He had thought to wake her up, but ultimately chose to just let her stay there. If he could, he would carry her to their room. But that wasn't an option, not yet anyway. He gave a smile.

As to answer his thoughts, his Omnitool beeped. He removed himself from Tali's makeshift sleeping space, pressing a button on the orange display. A small screen popped up, only of blackness and fuzz. He knew it was his contact.

"You are up late, eh, Rowan?" the caller said.

"Pretty rude of you to call this late at night," Shepard responded.

"I didn't know you had a damn bedtime, but I _thought_ that you would like to hear some news."

"Only if it is good."

"News is news. But in your case, this may be good…"

The man took a dramatic pause, as though to soak in his own mystery. "I got the supplies for you. I'll be there tomorrow, 18:00 Galactic time. I had to work _really _hard to get these supplies."

"Cry me a river, bud. You basically jumped up and volunteered for this."

"I said it was hard work, not that it wasn't fun. A friend of yours, Liara T'soni, has arranged for Tali to receive these supplies as a project around the house. She also arranged for me to send you a few things extra, sentimental keepsakes. So, I guess I'm playing your courier."

"You are far from that and you know it," Shepard said, laughing.

"I guess you are sort of sentimental to me now, just don't expect baked cookies. Make sure your evening is clear, I'll be arriving with a friend but you won't have to compensate for her." The man stopped for a moment, as though he was distracted by someone else. "I should go."

"Yeah. I should go too. It's pretty late. Stay safe.

"In my line of work, I can't promise that."

The man cut off his communications smoothly, leaving nothing, not even a trace of his call.

* * *

Author Notes: WOAH! Thanks to everybody for the reviews, follows, and the alerts! It's been really fun writing this! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Side note: I have bonus scene for this chapter; but it's more from the mysterious caller's point of view (it's rather action-y). If you want to see it, I post it in an extra episode after this one.

Time for some responses to the reviews!

* * *

Anonymous Guest: Ha ha. Thanks for your review! I've always liked the idea of a geth being rather diverse after the Reaper Code upload. Thanks for taking your time to review!

Mrmrgriff: Thanks for reviewing! I actually have a whole alternate ending that you will get to see in this story; Shepard just doesn't remember it yet. I hope that you like it!

Way of the Sheikah: HEY! Thanks for coming by! The mysterious person is actually someone that I don't think many people will expect. There are clues in this chapter that clears it up. I'll be sure to come by and read your story too!

Nightstride: Thanks! I like when people ask me to stay true to the universe. The clone tissue replacement actually came from Mass Effect 3 in the Huerta Hospital where you overhear a soldier and doctor talking about it. I thought that I would have to clear up why that wasn't an option for Rowan Shepard. And that omnitool prosthetics thing is a GOOD idea! I don't know if I want to us it unless I have your permission. Thanks for coming by.

TW6464: Hiya! Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you keep coming by!

Wing-Broker: I hope I keep you hooked, forever! MWAHAHAHA! Thanks for reviewing!

kill-phil: Thanks, man! KRONOS is like really awesome geth butler that is going to stick around. I'm glad you like it!

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I will also like to thank the favorites and follower. 16 alerts, 8 favorites, and **1012** views. Thank you so much guys! New followers and favorites (if I missed you, I will definitely shout you out next chapter):

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Song of the Episode: The Fighter by The Fray

Keep 'em coming guys!


	4. Episode 4: Chandelier Skies

**Episode 4:** Chandelier Skies

* * *

**Chapter Genre:** General/Drama/Humor

**Characters:** Tali, Shepard, Miranda Lawson, and the Mysterious Visitor

**Chapter Summary:** _The sky could have shattered above her, and it still wouldn't have surprised her as much as the person standing beside Miranda Lawson. _

* * *

Tali pointed her shotgun within the doorway, frozen. She would have expected anyone, even Harbinger, over this. But there he was.

Shepard was up early today, sipping on his third or fourth cup of coffee. All morning he was bumbling incoherently about the contact. However, through all the disjointed words, Tali had received no information on the subject. That should have given her a clue it was someone that Shepard didn't quite know how to explain. It wasn't until the door rung that he cleared up his speech, promptly beckoning her to "not freak out".

That bit of advice was moot, especially now.

She could have handled just Miranda. Yes. Many quarian remained distrustful the raven-haired woman with the remarkably distinct accent. But, Tali knew that she was okay. Would she have lunch with her or take her out to a club for girl's night, probably not. But, she had a remarkable friendship with Shepard, and she could see how he would trust her to bring the supplies. However…her companion was a man she hadn't even expected to be alive.

"Shepard…"

"Tali," he muttered under his breath.

"Do you think you could explain this?"

"Shepard," Miranda interrupted, pitching the sides of her nose to quell an oncoming headache. "You didn't tell her?"

There was silence.

The tall man beside Miranda shot a thin grin, showing a gleam of white teeth that were a few short from a row. He stared with green eyes, rubbing the red stubble on his head and chin. His nose, obviously broken more times than he could count, was scrunched up. He arched an eyebrow, folding his arms as though amused by the barrel of the gun sitting on his chest. "Are you going to shoot, Tali? Or are we going to play this game all damn day?"

It was the man's smile that got her the worst. It was almost exactly the same as his, minus the missing teeth. She looked over to Shepard, and back to the man, swallowing hard from anger. This man was Shepard's clone. Somehow, someway, he had survived. To make matters worse, Shepard seemed to take his appearance with the seriousness of a grain of salt.

"Ruston."

"I know, Shepard. Don't act like that."

Tali lowered her shotgun, but refused to do the same for her scowl. "Shepard, can we speak for a moment?"

Shepard gave a loud gulp as though he was preparing to be scolded. "Miranda, Rus. Come in."

"No._ He _stays outside, until I can trust him."

Tali turned on her heels fiercely, her purple cloak flying in all directions. She practically stomped to a small room on the side. Shepard and Miranda followed in toe, the former stealing glances for a miracle save in this future conversation. As usual, Miranda seemed icily calm and focused. It was a trait that Shepard thought he possessed; but a man tends to forget that he was a Commander when dealing with a furious lover.

"What was that?" Tali snapped.

"Well—"Shepard trailed off like a small child. "Yeah…"

Miranda took a deep breath, coolly. "Shepard had all intentions to tell you about Ruston. But it appears that it may have…escaped him."

"Or got caught on my tongue…"

"Either way, the intentions were there, Tali. You cannot blame him."

The glare that Tali gave could have been easier to handle if she had her helmet. But she didn't. The flame of her fury was spreading all over the room, and killing Shepard inside. He had meant to tell her, he truly tried. But, he didn't. He couldn't. There were no secrets here. He would tell her everything, even the number of red blood cells in his body if he could. But, he ran out of time to tell her about Ruston. Now, he was outside of her door, not helping the situation much.

"You heard what he said about me when he was sending us to an _impregnable vault_. _An_ _Impregnable vault, _Shepard. "

"I know. And I made him pay for that," Shepard responded meekly. "But, he helped me. We—"Shepard took a deep breath. "He's blood, Tali. I never had a brother or a sister, or even a parent. I never had family…and a part of me was happy that he was alive…even though…"

"Even though he's technically you."

Miranda combed through her hair with fingers, smiling and almost laughing. It was a low chuckle, as though she found the prospect amusing. The ice queen crossed her arms. "Some would say the same for Oriana and I."

Tali opened her mouth to speak, but found that Miranda had a point. "I—"She blew a puff of air from the corner of her mouth to move a strand of hair from her face. "Shepard…" She whispered low, as to remind herself of his existence. "I'll trust you. Just…let me get to know him first."

Shepard nodded, giving his own exhale of apprehension. "He's not bad…just…a little crazy."

"That's one thing you two have in common." Tali swept out of the room with that.

"She has a point," Miranda added.

"Not another word, Lawson."

* * *

Ruston and Rowan sat across from each other, but only one of them steadily poured himself a cup of wine.

Maybe fighting anything—geth, Saren, the Illusive Man, Harbinger, the entire Reaper forces riding Cerberus Atlases—was easier than this. Ruston was nothing like Shepard. He was slyer, crude, and incredibly lay back. Even now, he was kicking his feet on the table as he sipped his alcoholic drink with amusement. He obviously lacked the qualities of a leader, and was well aware of it.

"Your uh…" Rowan sipped his wine. "Your geth associate thing, butler geth, got your shit to your workshop. Should be enough that you need for your project."

"How did you get it?" Tali asked.

Rowan guffawed, grinning at Miranda with his broken smile. "I took it, of course."

Shepard and Tali eyes grew wide with the thought.

"He _means _that he took smugglers. Half of the original shipment was his terms for the reward. He's gained quite to reputation, Shepard. He's not as skilled in other more delicate…areas." Miranda stared at him, but he just giggled like a recalcitrant schoolboy who got caught for cheating on a test.

"Eh. I'm just playing catch up."

Tali stole a look from Shepard. The look in his eyes was like a father proud of a son. Was Ruston a particular pinnacle of good? Nope. But he still seemed happy for him. They must have taken some time alone during his three years gone. That was the only way to build trust, brick by brick. That is how he would have to gain her trust. Yes, the trust of Shepard had given her a foundation to stand on. But, she would have to see the rest for herself.

"Didn't have a tough time, you know, being recognized."

"Well. I'm nothin' more than a two-bit bandit that needs some dental work for most people. Anyone who may have recognized "you" is dead." Ruston pointed his finger like a gun and pretended to fire, much like a five year old would. " Bam! Right between the eyes. People tend to drop their guards when you resemble the "dead" and great Shepard. Hehe."

"So you are enjoying your life?" Shepard asked genuinely, like no one else could. Ruston seemed almost thunderstruck by the kindness.

"Hell of a lot better than stealing yours." The two shared an almost brotherly smile to one another.

It was good to see Shepard so happy. Surrounded by a people that he loved, smiling. Tali knew that he had to get out of here. Nothing makes him happier than people. Maybe this Ruston fellow was good—

_Snap. CRRSSSH CRACK. _

Tali didn't even know what happened, until she saw the broken leg of the table, and Ruston sprawled out on the floor laughing. It had folded almost in half, cracking on the side the rapscallion had put his feet on. It had caught him in the face, and his nose and mouth was oozing blood. Yet, he kept laughing. They kept laughing.

Shepard shook his head, hopping around the side of the wreckage to help his brother up. Tali had quickly come to his side as well; ready to apply the medi-gel. All the while, Miranda watched, shaking her head and pitching her nose as though this was a daily thing she had to deal with.

"Don't waste your medi-gel, plum. Just maybe broke my nose again."

"Plum…? And again?" Tali asked, the shock evident in his voice.

"Plum like the fruit, cause you are purple. You know."

"She doesn't eat the same food as you, Ruston," Miranda chastised, steadily sipping on her scotch.

"Right…" he nodded. "Sorry 'bout that. To answer your question, fought a krogan in a boxing match in a bar," Ruston explained, shrugging and licking the blood from his teeth.

"Did you win?" Shepard said, tossing him a white rag cloth.

"Nah, beat the hell out of me. It was fun; life is interesting when you try stuff."

Tali helped him to his feet and for the first time, they stared at each other without hate in their eyes. "I see why he likes you, you know." Ruston nodded towards Shepard. "And I may not be the best choice of person you wanted to see today. But I won't hurt you. He'll kill me before that happens." He lowered himself to her ear. "You are the only thing he thought about for three years. He loves you more than he loves life. Cherish it. You don't have to trust me, but love him.

Ruston pulled himself away from Tali. "Miri-"

Miranda glowed with biotic power for a second, "You know better than to call me that." Her voice was calm as ever, even smiling. Ruston flinched.

"Gonna stay here for tonight—if that's…cool—"Ruston looked to Shepard for a second. In turn, Shepard looked to Tali as though he was asking to bring a puppy home. She nodded quietly. "Yeah going to stay here, until you finish doing…Lawson shadow-business stuff."

"That was specific," Tali whispered sarcastically.

Shepard hid his smile behind the knuckles of his hand. "No kidding, yet so broad that it could explain everything that Miranda does."

As to contemplate this plan, Miranda relaxed herself on the wall she was leaning against. "It would make plans easier." She placed down the half-filled glass on the counter. "Care to brother-sit for a while, Shepard?"

"Yeah...I guess."

Neither Tali nor Shepard knew what they were exactly signing up for. But, Miranda did. As usual, she kept her chips firmly on her side of the bargain. "I owe you one, Shepard."

* * *

**Author Notes:**

Hello everyone! Meet crazy brother in law cloneshep!

I'm sorry about this chapter being so late! I've been working on my novel as well as this! I hope that the reveal of the new character is an interesting choice. Yeah, I know that technically the clone died (though very ambiguous). But I sort of want to explore my Earthborn Shepard with a family, and Tali being a sister in law. Also, I couldn't think of a better surprise. So I was like why not! Hope that you like. He's going to be reoccurring character in the story.

* * *

TW6464: Thanks for you review again!

ChainzofthePast: I love the geth way too much not to include them. They are very interesting characters! Thanks for your review.

Nightstride: I'm glad I'm not the only one that stays on wikias and stuff when looking for information. I will definitely consider the Omnitool thing! Thanks for the review.

Masshole77: You will definitely see more and more of the team members as the story go on! Hopefully, I'll get a bit of everyone! Thanks for the review!

Way of the Sheikah: Thanks for reviewing again! I love that you took the time to review! I know people are busy, but I do love when they come back! Zaeed was a good guess! He will appear in the story eventually!

Also, I love your story! I just haven't had time to review yet! Keep up the good work!

Kill-phil: Thanks for your review! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Again, Zaeed was a great guess, but he will appear later on!

Bud89: Thanks for the review! Always great to have someone dropping by!

Avenger13579: It's nice that you reviewed too! I will keep up the good work as much as I possibly can for everyone!

I'm at 2513 views, 11 favorites, and 24 alerts!

* * *

Thanks to my new favorites and alerts:

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**Song of the Episode:** Don't Wake Me Up by The Hush Sound

**Extra Song: Ruston Shepard's Theme**: Right Now by Fort Minor

See you next episode!


	5. Episode 5: This Hurricane's Chasing Us

**Episode 5:** This Hurricane's Chasing Us

* * *

**Chapter Genre:** Humor/Drama/Hurt

**Characters:** Tali, Commander Shepard, Ruston Shepard, and KRONOS

**Chapter Summary:** _Ruston had the right idea. Shepard had to remember what happened or it will end up tearing down everything around him._

* * *

_It's in his DNA,_ Tali thought seeing the broken showerhead, dangling on thin cords. Ruston retreated to the corner of the bathroom, laughing so hard that he had basically doubled over on his side.

She was amazed. There was no possible way that he could have broken this on this level. But, she had seen worse. Shepard was equally as adept in making a complete wreck of things in almost impossible ways. This was especially the case in anything technological. He was incredibly clumsy, and incredibly embarrassed to ask for help. That is why he was amazing, and that is how they started talking. He admired her. They admired each other.

It still didn't stop his clumsiness, but it did make him realistic, a real man.

"You're thinkin' about him," Ruston said, taking deep breaths and cradling his stomach.

Tali nodded silently, tinkering with the cords.

"Ya have the same look when you thinkin' about each other." Ruston shifted in his corner. "He thought about you a lot. It helped him through."

With some small clinks, Tali pulled the cords together. She checked the showerhead on her omnitool, checking if she had it attached correctly. "Do you know anything about the Citadel ?" It had bothered her to be honest. Shepard hadn't really remembered anything about the Citadel. Whenever they talked about it, he would get sad. There were tears in his eyes, unable to fall. _I don't know _is all that he ever said. She let it go, there was no other choice.

Ruston grinned, pulling the bath robe better over his body. "Couldn't tell you, plum," he said. "Found him a few weeks after the Reapers all went _boom_," he made an explosion motion with his fingers. "Wouldn't even recognized him if, you know, we weren't so…hella similar."

Tali sighed. "Thanks, Rus."

Her brother-in-law cocked his head back and crossed his arms. "I'm growing on you, eh?"

"You were until you broke my showerhead." Tali hid her smile. It was true. He was somehow growing on her, despite the very short time they had spent together. She couldn't quite describe it. It was like meeting a family member. She guessed he_was _family. A part of her knew that Shepard wouldn't just trust anyone. He had shot people that he didn't trust. So, why he be different? What would he have to gain at this point?

"I'm sorry."

"About what?" Tali asked, screwing the showerhead tighter with a satisfying click.  
"For everything."

Thunderstruck, Tali kept facing the shower wall.

"I'm not a horrible guy." Ruston bumbled incomprehensibly for a while. "I was—"

"You didn't know who you were," Tali said, finally turning. "How could you? You never had a chance to be you."

"How did ya know that?"

"Every quarian knows that. The Pilgrimage wasn't just for the Flotilla." Tali slipped her hands within her robe, heading for the door. She didn't know who she was before her Pilgrimage. By the end, she found who she was and who she wanted to be. Shepard and life had taught her more than anyone could. "Better check on my Shepard. I'm pretty sure that he's about to break _something_ to match you."

Ruston gave a low chuckle. "Hell of a sibling rivalry we have going." He pulled himself up. "Eh, plum?"

"Yeah?"

"Look after Rowan. He needs to remember what happened that day. But, he's too stupidly proud to admit that's something's wrong. If he doesn't, he might end up hurting the person he cares for the most. Don't let him be that stupid." Ruston rolled his shoulders, and cracked his neck. "Now If you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower now." He pulled the belt of the robe. "You can go anytime."

"It's not like it's something I haven't seen before." She couldn't keep her laughter in her chest. Covering her mouth in embarrassment, Tali paced to the door. _Keelah, I didn't just say that. _

Ruston crossed his arms, smirking like a mad dog. "Don't be like that, girly. Besides I'm so much better."

"You definitely proved _that _before."

"Oh the _sarcasm_! I might need medigel after that."

"You mean you didn't use all of it during our fight."

"See, I see why he likes you. You're hilarious! Now, get your fine quarian ass out of here!"

Tali rushed out of the bathroom, dissolving in her good mood. It was nice, she had to admit it. Shepard needed someone like him. The circumstances were weird, and he maybe took her off the deep end for a while. But, she was learning to like him more than she would probably want to completely admit to herself. Maybe one day, she would love him as much as Shepard loved him. He just had to learn to be alive.

* * *

Shepard had been in his workshop endlessly all morning.

The first half was just him understanding where everything would go technically. The prosthetic was more complicated than he had thought. He sat at the wooden desk, leaned forward, and scanned the blue prints. He flipped back and forth, making adjustments here and there to see if he had accurately absorbed the information. It was time consuming, but by 10 o'clock, he learned all he could learn.

What he was working on now was the actual math: calculations here, modifications there, more recalculation here. By the end, there was more than enough red marker on the paper that it was like he was grading a bad school report. Something was wrong. So wrong in fact that he wished that he had a Cerberus Trooper to headshot. He threw the pen down, rubbing the sides of his head.

"I don't think I can get this KRONOS."

The geth rolled his headpiece in a very human gesture. Shepard caught him do this from the corner of his eyes. KRONOS did that on purpose. "Don't roll your…light at me. This stuff is confusing."

"You are overthinking, Commander. Besides, you are on a planet full of technological savants and a linked AI. The probability of not finishing this is incredibly low. Do you want to hear how low, Shepard?"

"No—"

"0.000000005%"

"I told you no."

"You needed to hear. Do you want assistance with your blueprint?""

Admittedly, Shepard could ask him to do it. However, a part of him didn't want to lean on the geth or the quarians. He didn't even want to lean on Tali about this. He wanted this to be his project. If it was going to help him walk and it was going to be attached to his skin, he was going to be the one to complete it. He was stubborn, way more stubborn than he probably should have been. "I want to do this on my own, KRONOS."

KRONOS stared at him. Shepard, in turn, braced for a snarky comment.

"Please remember that your prosthetic have to support your weight, Shepard."

"Are you calling me fat—" Shepard glanced at the blueprints, again. The measurements were off, off enough to completely mess up almost everything. "Damn it, KRONOS. You are right. I thought that you were just being an ass."

"That is not a primary function."

"Damn it, KRONOS," Shepard repeated.

Feeling incredibly stupid, Shepard scribbled the new finding in the small red margins of the plans. Aggravation seeped into his skull the more he worked through the problem. This was simple, he told himself constantly. That line had got him through many troubles before. Torfan came to mind. Every decision he made he told himself that it was easy, that anyone could make it. But, he wasn't the same man he was then. The Butcher of Torfan was gone, and simplicity never existed.

That realization hurt deep. For a moment, he kept his peace. Yet soon, it crumbled into dust in his mind. He would be lying to himself if he felt peaceful at all. Somehow, that touched him, scarred him worse than even Lazarus.

"KRONOS…can you bring Tali—"

The door opened.

"You called, Shepard?"

Tali swept into the room, closing the door behind her. "Ruston is watching television. Miranda doesn't let him watch too much, so that should keep him busy until she gets back. Is there something wrong?"

"Thanks for calling her, KRONOS. You are dismissed."

"Of course, sir."

With a great amount of grace for a half a ton machine, KRONOS exited leaving the couple alone in the workshop.

The sudden quietness allowed Shepard to break.

Vulnerability swept through Shepard as he sat on the wood stool. He pressed his forehead on the wood, cuddling his head with his arms. "I'm in over my head," Shepard admitted. "I know. I've done so much to be stumped here. But…Tali, I don't know. Everything just seems that much harder." He bit his lip, safely gaining his breath. "This seemed so much easier in my head."

He heard Tali's soft footsteps approach behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, steadily feeling his breathing. It was nice. She smelled nice, her fingers soft. They held each other's company. He let his guard down again, warm tears falling down his face. He didn't want to show her. She didn't need to talk. All he needed was this moment. No matter how long it was.

Shepard wiped his tears with his forearm. "I'm sorry, I'm just overwhelmed that's all. It's really…" he grumbled, "I never _been_ overwhelmed before."

"No. No you haven't," Tali responded, rubbing his stomach. "When was the last time you thought that you couldn't do something?"

The thought was perplexing at first, thus processed slowly. "Never really. I mean, it may have crossed my mind, but I handled it well. You saw me during the Saren debacle."

He was a cruel man back then, Tali knew. That man could do anything by crushing anything in his way. During the Collector's was much the same way, he was still a bulldozer. Somehow, somewhere, he finally became human. No longer was he the demon that he had made himself to be. Deep inside, he had started to soften and now, he didn't know how to deal with it. Worst of all, a part of himself felt missing and lost. "I'm losing it, Tali."

"No."

Shepard lifted and turned his head. Tali, only inches away, stared intensely into his face. He had never seen her serious, but like every facial expression, it was sheer beauty. He felt himself grin, widely, despite the burning of the tears still swelling in his eyes. He pressed his forehead against hers, waist still held tightly.

"Retrace your steps," Tali told him. "How about any time that you work, you'll talk about who you are? Whether it is to me or KRONOS. Talking always helps me! Chatika and I have talked about plenty of things."

"Guess that would work. But, I never told you about everything, huh." Shepard sighed. "I suppose I have some stories to tell."

Tali's face softened. "You haven't really told me anything about you as a person. I never really…" she trailed off. "I never really thought to ask."

"I never thought to tell. It's sort of messy…" _The definition of messy,_ Shepard thought. But, he was willing to go through it. Memories helped people to remember other memories. It would be like therapy, except with the person you love instead of a military psychiatrist. He could do this. He had to do this. "Alright, how about as soon as Ruston leaves, we'll get started."

"I would love that." She kissed him, causing his pale skin to flush red again.

"Thank you, Tali."

* * *

"Shepard," Miranda said, swiftly entering the living room.

"Shit, you back already?"

Ruston had made himself comfortable in front of the television. He had helped himself to some snacks in the refrigerator and clothed himself in a pair of Shepard's black athletic shorts and a t-shirt. With a moody crunch of the last bit of granola bar, he brought himself to his feet, allowing his thin muscular body to stretch. "Don't you have somethin' to do? Like some space diva salon or a skin-tight suit convention?"

Miranda ignored his words, but grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the living room door. "I apologize. Did he cause any problems?"

The first thing that came to mind was the showerhead, followed closely by the Shepard's empty refrigerator. But, per respect of the mischievous brother, Tali and Shepard shook their head. "He's been on his best behavior," Shepard mentioned.

"Mostly," Tali said, remembering that he had drank at least two bottles of wine. His tolerance level was phenomenal.

"That's a relief," Miranda said, deadpan and dripping with her brand of sarcasm—usually kept for Jack. "I've set up something of a gift for you in return, Shepard."

"You never give me gifts," Ruston whined. Miranda tugged on his arm a bit harder.

"Of course not." She continued. "At any rate, I have contacted some people that agreed to help you further."

Shepard's eyes widened. "What?"

"Prepare for some visitors every so often."

Tali turned to Shepard, who seemed to be incredibly excited. He stroked his beard, ran fingers through his messy hair, laughing. "Lawson. You didn't?"

"Did you doubt that I could? People will always rally behind you, even in times of peace."

"Are you trying to tear my arm off, lady?" Ruston interrupted, wrestling away from Miranda's vice grip. Again, she ignored him.

"No one in Rannoch would expect anything. I'll advise you," she nodded towards Tali, "To inform your Admirals that you will be receiving members of the Normandy as visitors every so often. They will not suspect much, considering what we have gone through."

Shepard elbowed Tali, who seemed to be struggling with the concept of speaking with Miranda so freely. "Thank you, Miranda. You're a real friend to…both of us."

"You have to give her credit; she contacted Jack of all people."

Miranda scowled. It must have been a very difficult call.

"Ah, how was it talking to your girlfriend again," Ruston asked, mockingly.

Unannounced, Miranda whipped around, giving Ruston a powerful roundhouse to the jaw. The well-built man crashed to crash on the floor with a powerful thud. A mouth full of blood didn't stop him from laughing. She yanked him off the ground. Miranda knew how to handle people, and the only thing Ruston knew was pain. "He has to get back to his job." She stated the words calmly, as though she had not kicked him at all. "I'll let him visit you, every so often."

"See, you got blood all over the t-shirt I was borrowing." Ruston wiped the trickling blood from his mouth.

"Keep the clothes; you need them more than me." It was a given, Shepard realized. Brothers shared almost everything, if they wanted to or not.

"Ah. Thanks." Ruston licked the blood from his teeth. "Well…we better leave before I lose another tooth. Wait." He dug into the back of his gum, pulling out another tooth. "Thanks, Miri. Thanks for this."

"Farewell, Shepard. We will take our leave." Miranda sauntered into the hallway and out the front door, mission completed.

"See ya later, bro."

"Stay safe," Shepard said extending a hand

"Nah, that's not fun. I'll stay alive though." Instead of taking the hand, Ruston pulled Shepard into a hug. "I'll keep in contact."

Tali couldn't feel happier for Shepard. He felted loved and he needed it.

* * *

**Author Notes:** Just wanted to say hi to everyone and inform everyone on what's happening next. We are starting some flashback chapter as well as the Normandy character guests! So prepare to see some of your favorite characters as well as my Shepard's backstory (so we will get to see mini Commander Shepard). I'm incredibly excited! Who are some of your favorites that you want to see?

Also, KRONOS is Shepard's Jarvis (from Ironman). Just saying.

* * *

Gilmaxer: Thanks for the review! Zaeed is really popular; I'll make sure to make his appearance really early.

Way of the Sheikah: Thanks for the review, Sheik. The rogue type atmosphere was like the first thing that came to mind when I thought of cloneshep being alive. I even have an oneshot in my head about Ruston, and he fights like the Dragon Age 2 rogue in my head (except with a gun as a backup.) It's pretty awesome. Thanks for being really supportive.

Kill-phil: Thanks for the review. Tali probably wanted to tear off one of clone shep's legs, but right now he has both. Ruston is rather "life on the edge type of guy".

TW6464: Thanks for another review, TW6464!

Bud84: I wished that cloneshep survived too! I feel like it was unfair to him or her that he sort of got thrown into a life that they didn't really want. I'm glad I'm not the only one! Thanks for your review!

Avenger13579: Thanks, Avenger! I really liked writing my cloneshep, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your review!

Ripkins05 (PM review): Thanks for taking the time to PM and telling me how much you loved the story! It's really inspiring!

* * *

I'm at 27 reviews, 3,684 views, 13 favorites, and 30 alerts! Thank you so much for being so support!

Thanks to my new alerts and favorites

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**Song of the Episode:** Hurricane by Thirty Seconds to Mars


	6. Episode 6: You won't even know I'm gone

**Episode 6:**

"You won't even know I'm gone."

* * *

**Chapter Genre: **Family/Tragedy

**Characters: **Tali and Shepard

**Flashback Characters: **Five-year old Shepard and Rosina Shepard

**Chapter Summary: **_He had five years of happiness; he never made it to the sixth._

* * *

Shepard enjoyed her company, he really did. The exact moment that she came home from another Admiralty Board meeting, Tali took very little time to freshen up and join him in the workshop. With all the supplies lined messily on the work bench, he began working on his project. "Where do you want me to start?" he said, fixing a screw of a metal plate with his omnitool.

"The beginning, of course. What's the earliest memory you can remember?"

A rueful smile graced his lips. He tried to keep his composure in front of her. She needed to know, he told himself. The memory was painful. Yet he knew he had to speak of it. Red-faced, he opened his mouth; yet the words just wouldn't come. He forced himself into a sharp breath: "I suppose you want to know about my family."

Tali's brow furrowed. "All the reports said—"She paused, carefully choosing her next words. "That you didn't have a family. That you were on the streets most of your life."

Shepard nodded. "And those reports would be true. However…" He gave another short breath. "I knew my mother. I couldn't have been more than five years old. I can barely remember her face now. All I remember is that she had red hair like me and…" He looked down, pursing his lips and focusing a minute on his current panel. "And what she said the last time I saw her."

* * *

**New York City, 2160**

**Morning**

"Mama. Mama."

Everything was scary, that is all he knew as he shook his mom awake.

Rowan Shepard, a small boy of five, stood on an equally small stool as he shook his mother awake. She stirred underneath her covers. Mama was always a heavy sleeper, he knew. She liked to sleep after work. Maybe when he was older, he could sleep late too. But right now, all he wanted is some company. There were monsters underneath the bed and only she could handle them.

"Mama!" he shouted.

This time she shifted, turning herself to view her son. Rowan stared at her with large eyes. He was trying to be brave, but his little fingers were trembling. He wasn't the biggest of kids. He was thin, short, with long shaggy red hair. There was no way he could handle anything, not without his mother. She pulled her arm from underneath the covers, touching him on the cheek. "Hi," she said in a yawn.

"Hi," he repeated simply.

"Another nightmare, sweetie?"

Rowan nodded, weakly. He pushed the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Let's go check out what's wrong, eh?"

Very carefully, Rosina Shepard helped herself out of the bed. She pulled on the nearest pair of pants and a plain white t-shirt. When everything was properly on, she walked around to help little Rowan off the stool and grabbed his hand. Mom was brave, he thought. Brave and beautiful. Maybe one day he could fight the monsters on his own. She would be so proud.

She led him out of her bed room and through the small corridors of their cramped apartment. Everything here was falling apart. There was rust on the doors and hinges. The paint on the walls was a faded blue color and any place covered in wallpaper had been peeling away. Wood creaked underneath their bare feet and even a few were loose But, Rowan loved every inch of it. It didn't matter that it was old. It was home.

While not a true two room apartment, Rosina had refurnished a small office area for her only son. Though she didn't have a chance to paint it for him, she had given him everything that she could. Posters of various spaceships hung all over the walls and a small ceiling fan hung above them. The only furniture in the room was a small battered dresser. The little boy kept that clean, mainly because it held his passion for model ships. She was always proud whenever he finished one. He was "gifted" she said. He didn't know what it meant, but it made him warm inside.

"Are you going to show me where you think the monster is?"

Rowan gave a large gulp, clutching his mother's leg as tight as he could. He motioned the location with the crown of his head. "There."

Underneath the bed was where it always was. Rowan shook fearfully at the thought. They ventured forth carefully. Rosina took small steps forward towards the plainly covered beds, kneeling down. She looked at him every so often. He tried not to cry. It was tough. How did adults not cry when things were scary? "Ready?" She asked. He nodded. He wasn't ready, but it was going to happen anyway.

With the bravery of heroes, she tossed up the covers.

No monster.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Rosina said, rubbing his head. "Don't worry. You will be strong enough one day to fight all the monsters."

"No I'm not…" He responded, meekly.

"It takes time to be brave." Rosina stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "How about we have some breakfast for our victory?"

Rowan grinned widely. "Okay!"

* * *

**Afternoon **

Neither school nor work interrupted their time together. So, Rosina decided to take Rowan on a rare trip to the park.

They sat together on a worn out bench, sharing a hot dog. It was a rainy day. She was in her normal yellow poncho and him in his slightly oversized blue one. That didn't stop them from having a good time. It just added an umbrella to the mix.

He was happy, and of course, she was happy. That was until that strange man came up.

If Rowan had to put a face on all of the monsters he had seen, this man would be that. He had seen him several times at home. He would come every so often. There was usually yelling, lots of yelling when he came to visit. The older man, who looked much like a crazy wet dog, would stand in the doorway all the time. His eyes were always red around the edges, and his face always mad. Rowan could never understand why anyone would be mad at his mom, but this man always seemed to be. He always ruined the good days.

"Rosina," he said simply.

"Heath," she responded.

"May I have a word with you?"

Rosina gave a warm smile towards Rowan, handing him a few credits. "Go get something sweet."

Rowan stared blankly at her for a second. He had hardly finished his hotdog, and she was giving him a treat. His birthday was tomorrow, not today. Maybe it was today. "Is it my birthday yet?" he asked.

"No. No. Sweetie, not until tomorrow," she said, laughing. "I just thought that you would want something sweet."

Children knew when things were wrong, even if their parents didn't know they did. However, he did as he was told. Rowan pushed himself off the bench, landing into the puddle beneath him with a small splash. With careful steps, he continued his way towards the ice cream cart. That didn't stop him from hearing the first part of the conversation. _Money. _ He didn't know why it was so important, it just got you things. Why did everyone talk about it so much? Why did people get mad over it? He could never understand. All he knew was that he could get food and toys with it, and those things were nice.

He made it to the ice cream shop. The nice man there gave him a small cone of vanilla covered in sprinkles for him, and even threw in something for his mom free of charge. Rowan thanked him, juggling the two cones clumsily in his hands. The trip back was a lot slower than the trip there because of that. Rosina and Heath didn't even hear him coming.

"He's yours—" Rosina said in a raised voice, but clipped her sentence. Rowan cocked his head. "Oh."

"I got this for you!" Rowan handed her the larger cone, and she stared at it. She looked…sad. But she took it. "What's wrong?"

She didn't respond, instead she looked at the scary man.

"I suppose that I will be leaving now. I'll meet back up with you for our…arrangement," Heath said, looking at both of them with a look Rowan couldn't describe.

Rosina just nodded, and Heath left.

She helped her son back onto the bench. "Why does he visit a lot," he asked, taking a lick of the ice cream.

"Don't worry about it, dear. Just eat your ice cream."

Somehow that smile wasn't as sweet as it normally was. Neither was the ice cream.

* * *

**Night **

Rowan was in that odd mix between sleep and being awake. Yet, he knew that his mother was sitting beside him. Occasionally, he would hear words. She was talking to him. Normally, when she did this, it was happy things. She would talk about the Marines, Spaceships, and even about granddad. This time, she sounded upset. There was even times where Rowan felt warm liquid fall on his face. Was she crying? Adults didn't cry.

He tried to open his mouth, but the sandman held him tightly.

"I'm sorry, my little Shepard. I promise, years from now, you'll forget me and be a very proud man. You won't even know I'm gone." She placed something near his hand. "Happy Birthday, Rowan."

And then she was gone.

* * *

**Midnight **

Rowan was startled awake by a nightmare. For a few long seconds, he sat paralyzed in the bed. It soon wore off, and he got to his feet. The sound of the box that sat beside him clattered on the ground, lost in the darkness. Fear gripped him. He moved away from the bed as quick as possible, and headed towards where he knew the door was. His little hands pushed it open.

The lights of the hallway were on. He followed all the lights, leading to his mother's bed room. Her room's lights, however, were off. With a small act of courage, Rowan opened the door. There was silence. There wasn't even the sound of his mom's breathing. He took even smaller steps. It was dark. It was really dark. Rowan bit his bottom lips. "Mama," he said softly.

Nothing.

He repeated it again: "Mama?"

Still nothing.

He ventured deeper into the dark corridor, bare feet touching the wood. The closer he got to the bed, the warmer the floor seem to feel underneath him. It got warmer and warmer until the soles of his feet felt as though they were covered in liquid. The moon finally gave way into some light in the room, peaking through the open window. Rowan looked down, his feet was covered in red. He looked down further, and saw red hair and a pale body covered in stabs of all sizes.

The moment stood still as he recognized the liquid, the hair, and finally…the face. He howled his cry, large tears rolling down his face. His body didn't believe it. His mind didn't believe it. He just broke, until his eyes gave way to no more tears. Rosina Shepard was dead.

The monsters had finally gotten her, and he didn't know what to do with monsters.

* * *

**Present Day**

"Shepard—I…"

Tali couldn't speak, instead she held Shepard tightly as he worked at the bench.

"I had to learn how to fight monsters on my own." Shepard snapped a piece of the armor in place. "That day, I died for the first time."

Shepard was quiet for the rest of the day after that. Tali respected that.

* * *

**Author's Notes**: God, this is sad. Little Shepard was fun to write, but knowing that this was going to happen throughout the entire chapter just made things heart-wrenching. I hope that you guys enjoyed it. I tried to get the feeling of the chapter's memories as though a five year old was seeing this happen. I hope it worked! Get ready for the next chapter! And prepare to meet a squadmate!

* * *

Thanks to my reviewers!

Bud85: Let's say that Garrus is going to be appearing real soon for story/hang out time with Shepard. And I am quite the Ironman fan so, haha. Thanks for reviewing.

Viktorbane: Thanks so much for your review! PMs and reviews like yours keep a man going!

Way of the Sheikah: I really like the idea of a Renegade going Paragon. I feel like that is something that would happen over the games! Rowan wasn't my first Shepard, but he's the one I enjoy playing with the most. I am glad that you are enjoying the story and thanks for the continued reviews!

Gilmaxter: I'm glad that you are looking forward to my chapters! It makes me feel good that people actually look forward to what I do! Thanks!

Doombringer: Thinking up a character for cloneshep was really fun for me! I'm glad that you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks for your review.

Kill-Phil: It's okay man! Everyone misreads stuff from time to time! I'm glad I could clarify. Thanks for reviewing again. You guys are really dedicated!

Rose of Zakarisz: I love continuation too! I just can't let Mass Effect go. It's my favorite series! I'm glad that you enjoyed Rehabilitation.

* * *

I'm at 35 reviews, 4,717 views, 17 favorites, and 37 alerts! I'm incredibly excited that everyone loves this story. I'm going to be able to churn them out more often now that I'm closing on the end of my novel. New followers/alerts, I thank you as well!

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**Song of the Episode**: Rose by Meg and Dia

See you next episode!


	7. Episode 7: Way Out in the Water

**Episode 7: **Way Out in the Water

* * *

**Chapter Genre:** General/Humor

**Characters:** Tali, Shepard, and Garrus

**Chapter Summary:** _He was so tired that his mind felt like it was drifting through a mass relay._

* * *

"Shepard! Shepard! Can you come out for a minute?"

Shepard, as usual, was working endlessly on his prosthetic limb for the past few days. In fact, he had barely even eaten. Work was supplemented by substitute meals of a protein bar and bottled water. He would take showers and barely even put anything back on his way back. His scarred body was exposed, glistening with sweat; the lower half donned only a pair of beaten jeans cut into shorts out of pure frustration. "Maybe I need a break," Shepard mumbled to himself.

He got up and pushed himself off of his stool, crashing on the ground. Awhile, the ground kept him company. He began counting the specks in the concrete beneath him. It wasn't until he was halfway through fifty when he realized he was doing it. "What am I doing on the ground?" Shepard said, rolling on his back. "Oh…I don't have both of my legs." Quite frankly, he forgot. He's been working so hard…that he forgot.

Hopping to his feet, using his newly materialized crutch as leverage, he managed to get upright. Shepard continued to the door. Everything seemed really slow, he noticed. How long has he been up anyway? He tried to check the clock, but right now his vision just saw a blur of orange numbers. He chalked it up as a loss. Tali needed him, and he was keeping her waiting.

Shepard tried to open the door, failing a few times. He stared at it for what felts like hours—only a few seconds in actuality—confused. Where was the handle? He frowned, scratching the crown of his head. "Huh...oh.." Finally, he clicked the green button on the side, and the door slid open. "Shouldn't moths be flying out of the door?" he asked himself, hopping out. "Does Rannoch even _have_ moths?"

Tali saw him in the doorway. She was beautiful as always, a little blurry from this distance, but definitely really pretty. He gave her a weak smile. She met him halfway, giving him a peck on the cheek, and he returned the favor. "You look like a red-sand addict, Shepard?"

"I do?" He said confused.

"You do," Tali responded, nodding.

"Should I change or something?" His words were coming out really slurred, he realized. How long was he in that workshop anyway? "Uh—how long was I in there? When did our house get so bright?" There were lights, everywhere. "Why do we need so many lights?"

"Two days. Shepard, I can't turn off the sun."

"That's the sun? Oh!" Shepard grinned again, which affirmed the fact that he appeared like a washed-up red sand addict. "You called, honey…?"

"We have a visitor!" Tali's face lit up with excitement. Shepard's did too. She was really pretty when she smiled, he couldn't help but smile. He held her hand, despite how tired he was. "I have someone that will help you relax! You've been working hard, too hard, way too hard…too hard that I was afraid that you would faint or something. I wouldn't know what to do if you fainted. You are rambling again, Tali."

"It's okay. You can ramble. I always liked you rambling. It's cute." In his right mind, he wouldn't have said that so…bluntly. Nor would he have said it like a hippie on hallex-laced weed.

Tali stared, blushing madly. "Shepard."

Shepard hummed his response.

"Are you okay? You look really tired? I could—"

"No. No. I'm fine." He really was. Or at least, he thought he was. A guest, no problem. Commander Shepard can handle a guest on a half-a-tank of energy. They might have traveled a long way. That would be waste of fuel. "Let's go see 'em. Are they outside? Tali, it's pretty hot outside. I don't want them hot."

Tali giggled. "Yeahhhh." She gave an assuring nod, patting him on the back like he did something glorious. He smirked, chuckling too like he was reduced to a school aged boy. "Let me go answer, stay right there."

"Okay, honey. Be back soon."

Some parts of Shepard's mind—the parts that wasn't completely fatigued—slowly realized how ridiculous he was sounding right now. However, he was too proud to admit that it was happening. Instead, he would poker face it. It's not like he hadn't been tired before. The N7 program was much tougher than this. Sleep was overrated. Besides, someone was here.

Tali walked over to the door, opening it effortlessly. For brief moment, Shepard envied her door-opening prowess, but then realized it was a normal thing. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as she talked to the visitor. He heard him talk back. It was definitely a male. He sounded a bit weird, almost like…you know, those cool bird people…turian? Yeah. It sounded like a turian. But who?"

He opened his eyes, amazed. "V-Vakarian?"

Garrus stood in the door, leaning to keep it open. "Shepard."

"Are—are you real?"

Garrus gave a deep sigh, looking over to Tali who just shook her head. "I owe you 200 credits," he said, in his usual drawl of a voice.

"Told you it was bad."

* * *

Shepard took a bit of rest in light of it all. He wrapped himself up in a blanket after his brief nap, welcomed with a cup of cocoa. He wanted coffee. Tali promptly refused. She had been doing a lot of research on humans, almost as much as she had on geth in the past. She knew that coffee was the thing that was keeping him awake. She'll probably take that away. He had been drinking it way too much lately. But, how else was he going to keep awake?

Grimly, Shepard settled for the cocoa. The group had settled in the living room. Tali sat at his feet. Garrus sat on the sofa. He was clad differently than usual. His normal blue and silver armor was far darker, adorned with some gold symbols near the plate upon his chest. Armed still with his trusty assault and sniper rifles, he almost seemed out of place in this very comfortable home. That would have been the case if he didn't seem so damn relaxed. The turian basically took up one half of the couch, arms stretched, and one foot relaxed on his knee.

"Looks like you are finally sane. Well…as sane as you can be, Shepard."

"Just overworked myself as all. I didn't think Tali would have to call back up." Shepard sipped his hot cocoa. Somehow, it was amazing. How did Tali even do that? "I've been working on a project."

"It does appear that you quite literally lost a step."

"Shut up, Vakarian."

"Tali didn't bring me here to shut up. Besides, you aren't my CO. I can talk to you however the hell I want."

Shepard laughed. "I'm guessing Miranda told all the crew."

"Yeah. I had to take up with Liara to make sure. Not that I don't trust Miranda, but she isn't top on my best friends forever list. Apparently, T'soni is a much better Shadow Broker now. It's a lot less, I don't know, Garrus. And a lot more I already know that, Garrus. I swear she never looks at anything besides that orange data pad anymore."

"Looks like you aren't the only one that over works," Tali chimed in.

"I'm sorry Tali for worrying you. I just got wrapped up and—uh…I just want to get back up right without hopping all over the place."

Garrus might have joked about it, but he knew how much it hurt. He could see it written all over his face. There were very few people that Shepard couldn't fool with his tough act. Two of such happen to share the room with him at the moment. "Shepard, you never really thought about something other than war, have you?"

"Can you say that you have Garrus?"

"No. No, not really. But, Primarch Victus is making me think twice about doing this all my life. They never tell you about the downsides of a promotion. Just dress it up to make it look like you'll be sitting on your ass all day. Can't say he's a bad leader, just a bit of a slave driver. Reminds me of you, no offense of course."

"I wasn't _that _bad."

"Oh, you were pretty bad," Tali and Garrus admitted at the same time.

"Okay, I was pretty bad, but I was not a slave driver."

Garrus lowered his gaze, a usual sign of his checkmate remarks. "If you weren't yelling, it was because you were too busy throwing people off buildings."

Shepard went back to his drink in defeat.

"I'm just saying. You've done so many things. Isn't it okay to unwind for a while? Take it _slow. _You've been there for the galaxy, time for you to sit back and let us be there for you for a while."

He tried to hide his face from both of them as Garrus said that. But he couldn't, he hadn't been happier in a long time. It might have been his remaining tiredness, but his fingers were shaking. Tears, happy tears, dripped down his face. "Not a word a Vakarian," Shepard managed to mutter as he looked down. Garrus just laughed, but respected the request all the same.

* * *

Tali and Garrus sat out on the porch as Shepard finally gave completely to his fatigue.

It had been a long time since the two had seen each other as well. Actually, it had been the first time since the war that they had completely talked at all. They had been there since the beginning. Now, things were different. They sat as friends, not people that were bound together by war. Honestly, neither of them completely expected it like this. It was nice, different, but good.

"How did you react to the news?"

"Oh, the Commander Shepard is alive and survived the whole ordeal on Earth news. I took it like a champion." It was also good to know that Garrus's sarcasm hadn't left. "But, really. Didn't believe it at first, but it made sense once I sat and thought about it."

"What? How?" Tali cocked her head.

"Did you really think that he was going to sit down and die, not coming back to you? It would be more likely that he'll punch the Reapers to death first."

Tali knew this to be true too. "He's been through a lot Garrus."

"So have we all. But he's not going to sit down. He might be a little crazy."

"A little crazy, Garrus?"

"Alright, a lot crazy," he corrected swiftly, "but he'll make it."

Garrus rocked back in the chair, looking at the Rannoch sun. "We never had a real chance to celebrate."

A long silence slithered its way between them.

"I guess we didn't."

The team had drifted apart when the Reapers fell, they needed to get back to their planets. At least, that is what they told themselves. The truth was that it was too painful to be together. Shepard wasn't there. Two things kept them together, the war and him. With the war and him gone at the same time, contact had dropped. They were almost strangers that happened to be on a ship, not crewmates. It had hurt Garrus, Joker, Kaidan, Liara, and herself the most. They had been through a lot with him. In the end, restoring what was wrong was the only thing that they could do.

"I really wish Liara told us sooner; I would have brought presents."

"She probably couldn't get in contact. Also, she probably wasn't sure if Shepard was back to normal."

Garrus agreed, appreciatively. "Well, he's not. He might not ever be. But he's still Shepard."

"He just hasn't had the chance to be normal yet. Or in his life." After hearing the story about his past, he probably never had the chance to be normal.

"Does he even _have_ a hobby? You know, other than shooting things or setting it on fire."

Tali opened her mouth, but words just fell back into her throat. She never really asked. She knew that he would often buy model ships and magazines. Comics were usually something he was into. The adamant commander would often go up to the cabin with a box full of visage comics. The first Normandy had held his first collection, and after the second one. Maybe...she grinned.

"Humans like to draw things, right?"

"That's a broad generalization, Tali."

"But, I—" Tali blew her hair from her face. "Shepard is nuts for those things, and he drew his own blueprint for the leg he is working on. Maybe, he could do something like that to unwind when I'm gone!"

"Getting him NOT to work is a lot harder than you think." Garrus crossed his arms. Anyone who knew Shepard knew that when he had something in mind, derailing him was impossible. You had a better chance playing a contact sport with a krogan.

"True. But you are going to help me convince him."

"I'm going to do what?!"

Before Garrus even had a chance to react, Tali had taken him by the wrist and taken him back into house.

* * *

Author Notes: I'm so sorry for my recent absence guys. Things have been really crazy for me lately and I had to get myself together. Bad news, life punched me in the gut. Good news, it's over and I've finished my first novel (or at least I've finished the first draft). So I had to get into a happier place for this chapter. So, it's back to business as normal. So that's where everything has been these past few weeks. Back to thank the reviews!  
~

Thanks to my reviewers.

Falconaiur: Thanks for the review. I was hoping to make a Shepard the feels a lot like a human, not like the super man that you see in the game. It's fun exploring that, you know!

TW6464: As usual, thanks for the review, TW. Sorry I've been away for so long!

kill-phil: Hehehe. That's the reaction I wanted. It's nothing like a writer kicking you in the teeth sometimes. But, I promise, these chapters are very few and in between. Just be prepared. Thanks for your review!

tom80 bsn: You will find out later! It's actually really intense on how it happened. I'm glad I got you asking. So, thanks for asking.

Avenger13579: It was sad, but I think that is what made it really fun to write for you guys. Thanks for reviewing!

Bud89: I like that it was kind of sad, but everyone has them points in their lives, you know. Thanks for reviewing again!

ChainzOfThePast: You will definitely get that chance to see a Kronos/Tali time. At least one squadmate is going to take away Shepard for bro time. So look forward to that.

Gilmaxter: Earthborn Shepard, particularly one that becomes Paragon is my favorite characterization. I'm glad that you love it. Thanks for reviewing.

Viktorbane: Thanks for keeping me company for past few weeks, Viktor. I'm really glad that you like my story as much as you do. Thanks for the motivation. Keep up the good work.

Way of the Sheikah: You quoted my favorite line to write in the whole chapter. It was really painful even to put it down. A friend of mine called me and threatened to slap me for that quote in particular. It was glorious. Thanks for being so loyal. And I couldn't help myself from writing Garrus first, he's my bro, man! Thanks for reviewing.

* * *

Whew. This has been a really good ride. Currently I'm at 45 reviews, 6,639 views, 19 favorites, and 46 alerts!

Again sorry for the long time away. At least, I got a chapter out in July! Thanks for being really supportive. You guys have looked out for me and even PMed me to check if everything is okay. Life has gotten better. Thank each and every one of you.

Welcome my new followers and favorites!

HalfBloodDragon621

SHARP546

CarmineD

Grymgedda

Tacotitan

McKaye

Vulgarkessu

Forsworn Maverick

RenegadePasta

* * *

Song of the Episode: Where is My Mind by The Pixies (covers by Allison Scagliotti or Yoav and Emily Browning)

See you next chapter.


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